Ping-pong, or table tennis, is a well-known game involving usually two or four players where players use ping-pong paddles to serve and rally a ping-pong ball for points. When there are two players the game is referred to as a singles game. When there are four players the game is referred to as a doubles game. Sometimes a single player can play against a wall or some other flat surface; the game is then referred to as a solo game. In competitive ping-pong, players compete for matches where a winning match is the best of any odd number of games chosen, for example, 3 of 5 games, 4 of 7 games, or 5 of 9 games. For each game, the first player to reach 11 points wins that game, however a game must be won by at least a two point margin. If both sides earn 10 points the game is won by the first side to subsequently earn a lead of 2 points.
Play commences after a player or a pair of players chooses, for example, by winning a coin toss, to serve, to receive first, or to start at a particular end. The other player or pair assumes the opposing position: to receive, to serve first, or to start at the end opposite from the particular end chosen by the other player or pair. The game commences when a player puts a ball into play by being the first to strike the ball for a point, or putting the ball in service or serving the ball. A ball is put in service when a player (also referred to as the server): (1) holds the ball freely on the open palm of her stationary and free hand; (2) projects the ball in a nearly vertical direction, without imparting spin, so that it rises at least 16 cm after leaving the server's palm and then falls without touching anything before being struck; (3) as the ball falls, strikes the ball with a paddle so that the ball touches her court and then, after passing over or around the net assembly, touches directly the receiver's court (in doubles, the ball shall touch successively the right half court of server and receiver). At all times during a serve the ball is above the level of the playing surface and behind the server's end line and it shall not be hidden from the receiver by any part of the body or clothing of the server or her double's partner.
Points are scored after each ball is put into play (not just when the server wins the point as in volleyball). If the ball makes contact with the net during the serve, otherwise known as a let, the rally is not scored and the ball is served again. So long as the serve is implemented according to the steps outlined above, the ball is in play and the receiver must return the ball. The receiver returns the ball by striking the ball with her paddle so that it passes over or around the net assembly and touches the opponent's court, either directly or after touching the net assembly. Then either player may win the point. A player can win a point in the follows ways: (1) if the opponent server fails to make a good service; (2) if the opponent receiver fails to make a good return; (3) if, after he has made a good service or a good return, the ball touches anything other than the net assembly before being struck by his opponent; (4) if the ball passes beyond his end line without touching his court, after being struck by his opponent; (5) if his opponent obstructs the ball; (6) if his opponent strikes the ball twice successively; (7) if his opponent, or anything his opponent wears or carries, moves the playing surface; (8) if his opponent, or anything his opponent wears or carries, touches the net assembly; (9) if his opponent's free hand touches the playing surface; and (10) if a doubles opponent strikes the ball out of the sequence established by the first server and first receiver (in doubles the server shall first make a good service, the receiver shall then make a good return, the partner of the server shall then make a good return, the partner of the receiver shall then make a good return and thereafter each player in turn in that sequence shall make a good return). It should be appreciated that these are some of the standard ways points are earned in a game of ping-pong but there are other ways points may be earned.
Competitive ping-pong is governed by the ITTF, the International Table Tennis Federation. The ITTF was founded in 1926, the nine founding members being Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, Germany, Hungary, India, Sweden and Wales. The first international tournament was held in January 1926 in Berlin while the first World Table Tennis Championships was held in December 1926 in London. The role of the ITTF includes overseeing rules and regulations and seeking technological improvement for the sport of table tennis. The ITTF is responsible for the organization of numerous international competitions, including the World Table Tennis Championships that has continued since 1926. Over the years, ping-pong has maintained a steady interest among competitive players and non-competitive players.
Traditional ping-pong sets include a table, a net assembly, paddles and balls, and are expensive, heavy, and bulky. An example of a prior art ping-pong set is shown in FIG. 1, which illustrates a perspective view of ping-pong game set assembly 1 comprising table 2, net 8, net tensioning brackets 6A and 6B, bracket clamps 6C and 6D, paddles 4A and 4B, and ball 5. Ball 5 is typically spherical, hollow, lightweight, and made of celluloid or some other lightweight plastic to ensure high-bouncing capability. Ball 5 is usually white or some other color that contrasts with the color of the table so that users can easily see the ball when playing. Originally, the standard ping-pong ball was 38 mm, or 1.5 inches, in diameter. After the 2000 Olympic Games, however, the 38 mm ball was replaced by a 40 mm ball, which is identical in material, but since the diameter is larger, ball 5 is slower and spins less than the traditional ping-pong ball.
Paddles 4A and 4B, as illustrated in FIG. 1, each comprise a blade and a handle. Paddles 4A and 4B usually have between one and seven plies of wood, although cork, glass fiber, carbon fiber, aluminum fiber, and para-aramid synthetic fiber, such as Kevlar® brand synthetic fiber, are sometimes used. The blades of paddles 4A and 4B are usually elliptical in shape, laminated, and covered with an anti-slip material such as rubber. The average size of a blade is about 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) long and 6 inches (15 cm) wide. Although there are no official restrictions on the shape or size of the blade itself, these dimensions are optimal for most play styles. It is customary for the blade and handle to be fixedly secured to one another. In some cases, the blade and handle are carved out of a single mass of material.
Net tensioning brackets 6A and 6B and bracket clamps 6C and 6D are arranged to secure net 8 across the top of table 2. Net tensioning brackets 6A and 6B are usually made of a rigid material. Bracket clamps 6C and 6D are usually made of some rigid material and comprise a device which is attachable to table 2 and operatively arranged to maintain the upright arrangement of net tensioning brackets 6A and 6B which are arranged to maintain the upright, fully extended, and taut arrangement of net 8 across the top of table 2. Net 8 is made of a lightweight mesh material and typically about 5 feet long and approximately 6 inches tall. Table 2 is typically about 5 feet wide to accommodate the length of net 8.
The ping-pong set assembly shown in FIG. 1 poses a number of limitations. Firstly, the ping-pong net assembly is suitable for game play only on tables of a particular width. The net assembly is not suitable for use and game play on a table having a width less than or greater than the width of the net. Secondly, this conventional ping-pong set is bulky. Thirdly, the ping-pong net assembly shown is cumbersome to remove because removing it involves unclamping, unscrewing, or otherwise undoing clamps 6C and 6D from table 2. A fourth limitation posed by the ping-pong net assembly shown is that net 8, net tensioning brackets 6A and 6B, and bracket clamps 6C and 6D are permanently exposed. Thus, they can be damaged easily. A fifth limitation is that net tensioning brackets 6A and 6B and bracket clamps 6C and 6D become loosened and require fine-tuning to ensure net 8 is upright, fully extended, and taut across the top of table 2. The fine-tuning required is inconvenient for a player because it takes time away from game play. The fine-tuning required is also inconvenient because it is often difficult for a user to accurately set net tensioning brackets 6A and 6B and bracket clamps 6C and 6D so that net 8 is fully extended and taut. Additionally, the fine-tuning can cause wear and tear on table 2. A sixth limitation is that paddles 4A and 4B have an awkward shape thus, they are not easy to store and/or pack. Yet another limitation is that the ping-pong set assembly shown in FIG. 1 has no convenient place to store ball 5. Finally, the net assembly shown in FIG. 1 must be clamped to a table top, and not all table tops are suitable for clamping.
Patentees and applicants for patents have addressed other problems related to the game of ping pong and other racquet sports. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,590 (Lin) discloses an adjustable ping-pong net assembly comprising a net, first and second vertical hollow cylinders each having net supports, two base pieces having clamps, and a spring-biased shaft to tension the net when the supports are mounted on opposite sides of the table. One end of the net is fixedly secured within the first hollow cylinder containing the coiled spring-biased shaft while the other end of the net is fixed to a stopper which is operatively arranged to be inserted into the second hollow cylinder for game play. When the net assembly is not in use, a user can remove the net from the second hollow cylinder and allow the spring-biased shaft within the first hollow cylinder to automatically wind the net. The retractable ping-pong net assembly disclosed is problematic because the stopper can deform due to repeated assembly and disassembly. Additionally, a piece of dirt or debris can clog the second hollow cylinder which is intended to receive the stopper of the net thereby preventing assembly. Furthermore, the automatic spring-biased shaft can malfunction due to its complexity. This reference also fails to disclose a storage chamber for a ping-pong ball.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0205541 (D'Estais) discloses an adjustable net assembly including two supports each having a fastening means and an automatic net winder. Although this reference discloses an adjustable table tennis net assembly that improves the compatibility of the traditional ping-pong net assembly with tables of varying widths, the invention suffers from a few disadvantages. Firstly, the invention includes an interlocking alignment of the two supports when the supports are proximate and in contact with one another. A problem with this interlocking alignment is that the bottom-most portions of the two supports are not planar. Instead, the bottom-most portions of the two supports are arranged where one support is beneath the other. Given this arrangement, the net supports cannot be arranged upright on a flat surface. Rather, the net supports can only be arranged along a flat surface longitudinally. This longitudinal arrangement takes up more space than an upright perpendicular arrangement. Secondly, this reference discloses net supports having a fastening means to fix the net assembly to a table. As discussed above, a net assembly having a fastening means is cumbersome. Thirdly, the automatic winder disclosed is complex and therefore expensive to manufacture.
As described previously, most ping-pong paddles are of one-piece, unitary construction. This paddle structure requires a larger package for shipping and retail sales. Others have noticed this issue in other racquet sports. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,574 (Curtis) is directed to a collapsible tennis racquet comprising a racquet head and a detachable handle. This racquet includes a detachable handle, however, and not a non-detachable, retractable handle, resulting in less space savings for packaging, and a chance that the handle or head will be lost or misplaced.
Therefore, there is a long-felt need for a portable ping-pong set that can be arranged quickly and easily on any flat surface. There is also a long-felt need for a ping-pong set assembly that stores compactly. There is also a long-felt need for a ping-pong net assembly that has an adjustable net length so the net assembly can accommodate tables of varying widths, and can rest atop a table surface without clamping. Finally, there is a long-felt need for a ping-pong paddle having a non-detachable, retractable handle.